The Measure of a Man

2015 1h 33m FR

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 380

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

At the age of 51 and after 20 months on unemployment, Thierry starts a new job that soon brings him face to face with a moral dilemma. How much is he willing to accept to keep his job?

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Vincent Lindon
Thierry Taugourdeau
Karine de Mirbeck
La femme de Thierry
Mathieu Schaller
Le fils de Thierry
Yves Ory
Conseiller Pôle emploi
Xavier Mathieu
Le collègue syndicaliste
Noel Mairot
Le professeur de danse
Catherine Saint-Bonnet
La banquière
Christophe Rossignon
Employeur sur Skype (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Stéphane Brizé
Writers: Stéphane Brizé, Olivier Gorce
Languages: French
Countries: France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

ERA

Did you know

Released 11 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

CRAFT

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Stéphane Brizé, shot by Éric Dumont. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Anne Klotz shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Vincent Lindon and Karine de Mirbeck and Mathieu Schaller carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt4428814 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Stéphane Brizé directs. Éric Dumont behind the camera. Anne Klotz cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 11 years ago.
2Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
3Directed by Stéphane Brizé, shot by Éric Dumont. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Editor Anne Klotz shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Vincent Lindon and Karine de Mirbeck and Mathieu Schaller carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt4428814 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Éric Dumont
Editing: Anne Klotz
Production design: Valérie Saradjian
Costume design: Diane Dussaud
Runtime: 93 min · 1h 33m
Status: Released
Box office: $106,498
Original language: FR
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Measure of a Man (2015)

Also by

Stéphane Brizé

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Reno2017-02-14
★ 8/10
A tale of the modern day job hunt. French films are the second most I watched apart from the English language films. It's mainly because of the quality of their products. They won't put big sum on some superhero film like the Hollywood, they give preference to storytelling and the characters which I love even in a slow pace narration. Anyway, you would be tired of listening to what I'm going to say that I always love French and Japanese films, mostly the drama films. This is the latest one I saw that I did not think of giving it a try after the average reception, but once I watched I realised how much underrated the film was. This is like another 'Two Days, One Night', but a bit touch of 'The Pursuit of Happiness' with the limited sentiments. There's no comparison with any other titles, except the similarity in themes. You can call it a docudrama, because it was very realistic that you won't feel like you are watching a film. Especially not for an entertainment purpose. If you are so, then stop there and try other flick. This could resemble your life, at least some way if you ever struggled to get an employment after getting released from the previous job. I am not talking about the freshers or the youngsters, but in between the jobs, mostly the middle-aged and less qualified men's perspective. The modern world belongs to the young blood. Being somewhat old and not skilled with today's technologies is a big excuse to exclude from the employment world. That leaves to get one from the smaller wages. Such film is this one which focused on the man called Thierry who was looking for any job for the last two years. His family is small with a wife and a handicapped son. Financially struggling Thierry decides to get a loan from the bank and try to sell his mobile home to meet the expenses. Finally, he ends up in a supermarket as a security guard and follows his new way of struggle against the reality of the world where crime and compassion overlap. "A shoplifter has no age or colour. Everybody is a potential shoplifter." I was desperately looking for some entertainment to relax after the tired day. I jumped on this, and initially it took time to launch into the main storyline. It begins with Thierry having conversation with his old colleagues about the options and if there is any legal solution for his old job. This is the film where pictures, as well as lines carefully watched and listened respectively to understand the intention of such film to be exist. The every word spoken in the film were not like any other films, but it was like real life dialogues between two or more people that we the audience listening them from somewhere around the corner. That's why I compared it with documentary. This is the third film for Vincent Lindon with the director and the best one. The last time I saw him was in the 'Bastards' that I did not like. Surely the best of him after 'Welcome'. He won a few best actor awards for his role in this film, including one at the 2015 Cannes. The film was all about him. He as Theirry was the soul of the film. People start to recognise the actors since they saw them in one of their best performances and now I for Vincent Lindon through this film. Obviously very slow at the beginning, but once you start to feel you know enough about Thierry, it gets more interesting. Particularly the final act was impressive. It points out how narrowly our society was built where you can't escape the disappointment if you are a sensitive person about the actions that entirely depends on the situation whether its good (empathy) or bad (crime). This film is everything. You can call it a self-discovery or truth finder, but well detailed about the modern day job hunt by an average person. Even if he gets one, does it stand up to his moral dimensions? Because some people mind what they are doing, even though getting it after a desperate attempt. Like I said I saw it in a wrong circumstance, but I did not fail to recognise fineness of it. This is one of the best drama films I have seen, especially in the recent times. If you are looking for a realistic portrayal film, this is the one. It might be an under- noticed film today, but the time will come when people look back on this decade for how the lives and society evolved, then this little precious film will impact greater which depicted exactly what's happening right now. What I meant was some films are not meant for the present, despite all the films are made for the present!!! 8/10

Production companies